


After the storm

by wildheartwhispers



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Celebrity!AU, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mostly about Credence, Percival cares so much, Pre-Slash, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 05:50:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13474992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildheartwhispers/pseuds/wildheartwhispers
Summary: Credence is an up and coming actor, Percival Graves has been in the business a while and is very popular.Credence is shy, but Graves takes a liking to him. And then some angst with hurt/comfort and a happy ending.





	After the storm

**Author's Note:**

> Title after Mumford and Sons’ song. 
> 
> The mentions of abuse are very brief, nothing explicit.  
> I was just gonna write a short AU idea to a friend, and it turned into this drabble.  
> I’m quite happy with the result, so I wanted to post it.  
> Happy reading, hope you’ll like it!

Credence was being forced into the acting business by his abusive mother, when he’s 13. 

 

When he’s 17 he meets Percival Graves when they are starring together in a new movie.  
Credence has never liked being an actor, for obvious reasons, but for some reason people think he is good at it and so he keeps getting jobs.  
For now, his mother holds his bank accounts, but he plans on getting out of her house the second he turns 18 and can legally support himself.  
What he never counted on, though, was meeting Graves and how that man would change his life forever.  
At first there is only Graves being friendly to Credence. But he is friendly to everyone, so there is nothing to it. And Credence is shy. So he is almost always left alone when he’s on set and he doesn’t have to interact. Hos collegues let him be because he doesn’t actively engage in conversations. He thought he preferred it like that.  
But Percival Graves doesn’t let him be. He talks to Credence. Asks him about things, like what his favourite food is or what music he likes to listen to. And he actually listens to Credence’s answers, as if he genuinely cares. Credence can’t for the life of him figure out why. No one else has ever taken an interest in him as a person, they only admire him for his supposed skills. So why would Graves feel any different?

As filming goes along, Credence finds himself opening up more and more to Graves, and he starts to ask questions of his own. Once, Graves made a joke and Credence actually felt himself smiling.  
His favourite thing, though, about Graves, is not his silver fox looks. It’s his kind eyes and the way he looks at Credence as if he matters. Catching Graves watching him like that makes butterflies start to flutter in his stomach and a warmth spread throughout his body, emanating from his heart.

One morning after a weekend at home (the cast had a free weekend), Credence comes to set with a black eye.  
To the collegues that ask he mumbles something about accidently riling up a drunk guy at a bar. And he gets left alone, as usual. He’ll have to spend more time in make up to have his purple eye, but that’s fine.  
Just as he sits down in his chair in the make up trailer, of course Graves comes stalking in. He seems upset, and Credence can’t bear to meet his eyes, so he keeps his eyes locked on the floor. Just his luck that his black eye is his left one, which happens to be the one facing Graves.  
Graves asks the make up girl to please leave them alone for a bit. Of course she complies, and Credence feels his throat tighten. He can’t talk about this. No one would understand. Not even Graves, for all his good qualities.  
The older man walks up to Credence where he’s sitting frozen in his chair, refusing to look at Graves. If he does, he will cry. He just knows it. And he can’t cry, because then- He doesn’t really know what will happen then, but it will surely be bad. Like Graves never wanting to talk to him again, because he’s weak.  
What does happen, though, is Graves turning Credence’s chair towards him, making a pained face when he sees his purple/black eye.  
”Fuck, Credence...”, he breathes. Credence swallows against the tightness in his throat, staring at the floor of the trailer.  
Then he feels fingers trailing over his cheek, very carefully stoppning just at the edge of where the bruise starts. He can’t help but flinch a little, and the fingers trail down again, Graves breathing out a quiet ”Sorry”.  
”Did you really get into a bar fight?”, Graves asks gently.  
Too gently, and Credence feels hos eyes starting to tear up. He’s not used to hearing such kindness in a voice, when not acting a scene. He can handle his mother’s moods without so much as a sound, but of course it had to be Graves actually making him have to fight to hold his tears back.  
”..yes. But it’s nothing. Bad luck, it will heal”, Credence forces his voice to keep steady. But he still can’t make himself meet Graves’ eyes. Of course that’s what reveals him.  
To his surprise, Graves places his hands on either side of Credence’s face, cradling it like something precious, and he says,  
”Credence, look at me”, and Credence can’t help but to comply when Graves sounds so gently urgent.  
It’s only pure will that keeps Credence’s tears from spilling down his cheeks, when he finally sees Graves’ face. He looks so sad and concerned, and Credence hates that it’s because of him. But Graves’ hands holding his face, do make it a little more bearable.  
Credence tries to speak, opening his mouth to say something, but he doesn’t know what. What does one say in a situation like this?  
”Hey. It’s alright. You don’t have to answer. You just listen to me, boy”, Graves’ voice is soft and quiet, but it’s all Credence wants to listen to forever. He doesn’t know why he’s so comforted by this man, he just knows that he is.  
”You are not going back. Ever. From now on, you go home with me, okay? And I will never let anyone hurt you again.”  
It sounds like a promise, and Credence has learned to be wary of those. People rarely keep them.  
But looking into those dark eyes, Credence finds himself trusting Graves. He nods.  
And when the older man leans in and down and puts his arms around Credence in a tight and warm embrace, Credence closes his eyes and finally lets his tears spill down.

For the first time in his life, he feels hope that things might actually change for him. And it’s all thanks to Percival Graves.


End file.
